1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed toward computer performance observation and diagnostic tools. In particular, the present invention is directed to a system, method and article of manufacture to transmit, receive,store, modify, observe and evaluate system information and updates to such information, transmitted from a monitored first system to a master monitoring second system which, in turn, may be remotely accessed by one or more monitoring subsystems.
2. Prior Art
In many industries and businesses, large numbers of transactions are processed by computer on an around-the-clock basis. As an example, certain airline reservation facilities may process 1,000 transactions per second. Because of this demand, multiple central processing units, often but not necessarily, main frame central processing units are utilized with a computer complex. Typically, each such frame computer will be connected to at least one console, including a keyboard and display terminal for operations personnel to monitor and control the operation of the system.
Operations staff personnel interface with the computer via a computer console often referred to as the system""s console. This console is used to display status messages about the computer system and allows the operations staff to monitor and control the operations of the computer. For example, a batch job running on the computer might require data from a tape. The job would then issue a message to the operator via the console requesting that the required tape be mounted. The operator would then mount the required tape and inform the computer system, and the job, that it is available by making an entry at the console. Other types of messages displayed may related to errors or critical situations occurring within the computer system. The operations staff must be aware of each message displayed by the console, the intent of each such message and the appropriate response required.
Adding to the complex work load of operations staff has been the advent of multiple operating systems. Originally, an operations staff would be required to watch over one or two computers that performed principally similar functions. In today""s environment, operations staff are often responsible for monitoring the operational efficiency of multiple and diverse computer complexes executing multiple computer operating systems and multiple application programs operating under the dispatching control of such computer operating systems. As used herein such complexes, operating systems, attendant hardware components and application programs, including without limitation realtime and batch applications, are referred to synonymously as xe2x80x9ccomputer platforms, or platformsxe2x80x9d. In extremely large data processing complexes, such as those run by airlines, multiple and various application programs and operating systems are executed concurrently. For example, an airline will require computers to handle flight planning, load balancing, and reservations, as well as having development and test systems. It is the responsibility of the operations staff to insure that all of these systems run efficiently and without performance degradation or system outages. Consequently, the operations staff must be aware of what messages may be issued from which archives within a given complex of machines and how to react to them in the most effective and efficient manner.
Computers in large scale computer complexes typically utilize a main operations console, that is responsible for monitoring and running the system. Operations personnel who use these consoles are responsible for insuring that other users of the computer will have access to the computer""s resources and functions. It is from these consoles that each computer in a complex has its performance monitored and controlled. As indicated, in many cases there are multiple computers running in a complex executing multiple and diverse operating systems. For instance, there might be several computers dedicated to testing and developing new software, other computers dedicated to maintaining accounting and inventory systems, and yet others that are connected to outside users for information access. Each of these operations and task environments could require multiple computers with each task environment requiring a different operating system. Each of these distinct computers provides for at least one, and likely multiple system consoles, and interfaces with its console in a manner unique to its operating system.
There have been many attempts to simplify the complexity of the above noted situation. mostly through software on the monitored system computers themselves. Such efforts have not met with great success because of disparate operating systems functionality. Interconnectivity between console systems from within different operating systems is a difficult task involving software to communicate between each system and yet additional software to interpret messages from the other operating systems. These systems become very cumbersome and difficult to maintain as if one operating system is modified it would likely require major modification to other interfacing operating systems. Modifying an operating system is a task that most computer avoid as modifications error may cause adverse executional effects and proliferate throughout the computer system.
Another direction of console software is for operations automation. Many operating systems have been made xe2x80x9csmarterxe2x80x9d to handle conditions from within the system that were formerly addressed by operation staff. These software modifications, however, cannot keep xe2x80x9cwatchxe2x80x9d over entire complexes of computers due to lack of multiple systems connectivity. They also lack the ability to xe2x80x9cunderstandxe2x80x9d different operating systems.
The aforestated clearly speaks to ever growing complexity of the operational environment. Such increased complexity combined with an emphasis for system reliability and availability, demands advanced methods for computer performance monitoring, awareness and operational control. Computer users are requiring that their systems be available world-wide, 24 hours a day, and down time for major computer users is measured in the tens of thousands of dollars per minute. A cost which is rising expressly as xe2x80x98onlinexe2x80x99 dependency increases.
There is a need, therefore, to allow multiple monitored and operated computer consoles to be operated from a single work station.
Accordingly it is desirable to provide a system master monitoring system central processing unit which is capable of replicating present and past console information intended for display on each monitored system.
In the past, in an attempt to access mainframe based data or systems from a personal computer operating system, a group of xe2x80x9cscreen scrapersxe2x80x9d have been employed. These allow a personal computer client system access to mainframe based data or systems. However, screen scrapers required custom client applications to be written that access mainframe system screens directly by mapping client access variables directly to screen row and column positions. The xe2x80x98screen scraping approachxe2x80x99 does not provide for the storing of screen display historical information in a memory for subsequent transmittal in reverse order.
Many times problems are presented on the mainframe or mini computer operating the system that go beyond the operator""s ability or training to deal therewith. In such instances, it is necessary to involve technical support staff in resolving the issue or problem. In order to resolve the problem, it may be desirable to determine the events just prior to the time the problem arose.
This remote users support including remotely located field engineers who connect from a laptop personal computer or other remote device. It is, therefore, desirable to allow remote access and connection to the master monitoring system.
In addition to presenting monitored system screen information for the master monitoring system""s operator""s use, it is also desirable to make current screen and a history of captured screen updates available to both the master operator and to remote users, such as system engineers. It is desirable to view exactly what the operator entered prior to an error occurring in the monitored system. With this sequential information, it is possible to diagnose problems.
The present invention provides a system, method and article of manufacture to replicate system performance information typically but without limitation represented as screen images intended for display upon a monitored system output device. Such output devices often include video display capabilities, such as dumb terminals having a screen display and keyboard input. A standard cable extends from a main frame central processing unit (hereinafter referred to synonymously as xe2x80x9cmonitored system central processing unitxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cmonitored systemxe2x80x9d) and is connected to an adapter card. The adapter card is in turn connected to a master monitoring system central processing unit having both a display monitor and keyboard input. System performance information and indicators (hereinafter referred to synonymously as xe2x80x9cmonitored system screen image, or system performance informationxe2x80x9d) from the monitored system central processing unit is thereby received at the master monitoring system. The system performance information and updates to such performance information are stored within a computer readable memory accessible to the master monitoring system central processing unit. Initially the system performance information transmitted from the monitored system pertain to a full screen image and the screen image is compressed and stored in a memory. Thereafter, a plurality of sequential updates to said performance indicator information are received at the master monitoring system central processing unit and each update is stored sequentially. In the present embodiment, a plurality of updates are stored following the initial receipt, compression and storage of a full screen image. After a plurality of updates are received and stored, the process again repeats itself. Thus, the system performance information as represented in a full screen image transmitted from the monitored system central processing unit is again compressed and stored in memory.
The present invention replicates system performance information intended for limited viewing on a dumb terminal.
An operator at the master system central processing unit has the option of viewing both a history of screen image presentations as well as simultaneous viewing of current monitored system screen activity.
A remote user, such as but not limited to a field engineer, connected via a communications line between the monitored system central processing unit and the master monitoring system central processing unit may connect to the master monitoring system central processing unit. One such example of such a connection would be a laptop computer utilized in conjunction with a dial-up line.
Multiple remote users can access the stored system performance information (a.k.a screen images) simultaneously without interference with one another and browse individual and discrete sections of the individual screen history and current performance activities of a monitored system. When browsing the remote user or users is presented with a searchable history of screen images in reversed order with the most recent history transmitted to the remote user or users first. Such individual and distinct viewing of historical and current information is presented to one or more remote users in a forward and backward browseable context.